By Allen Huotari

Ron Horton (trumpet, flugelhorn) was born in 1960 in Bethesda, Maryland. He attended Berklee College of Music, Boston, from 1978-1980 and moved to New York City in 1982. Since then Mr. Horton has performed in groups led by: Andrew Hill, Jane Ira Bloom, Frank Kimbrough, Ben Allison, Ted Nash, Allan Chase, Bill Mays, Jon Gordon, Andy Laster, Phillip Johnston, Matt Wilson, Roberta Piket, Rez Abassi, Walter Thompson, Pete Malinverni, Jamie Baum, Bill Gerhardt, Rich Rosenzweig, John McKenna, Michael Jefry Stevens, Peggy Stern and others. Mr. Horton has also performed extensively with Jazz Composers' Collective since it's inception in 1992, and is featured prominently on the Herbie Nichols Project.

The most recent recordings to feature Ron Horton are his debut cd as a leader entitled GENIUS ENVY (which is the second release for OmniTone), and the second cd from the Herbie Nichols project entitled DR. CYCLOPS' DREAM (Soul Note). Both of these recordings were released in Oct. 1999.

Of GENIUS ENVY , AAJ Modern Jazz Editor Glenn Astarita writes:

“…Horton shines as a formidable composer, arranger and leader while acting as a catalyst of sorts for what is most assuredly a ‘group’ effort…GENIUS ENVY is mood evoking, poetic, cool, spirited and sure to capture the hearts of many jazz aficionados…Highly recommended...”

To help celebrate the release of GENIUS ENVY , Ron Horton was kind enough to participate in the following interview, which was conducted via e-mail in September 1999.

For another in-depth interview with Ron Horton, please refer to the following:

http://www.omnitone.com/geniusenvy/horton-interview.htm

ALL ABOUT JAZZ: What are your earliest musical memories?

RON HORTON: My first musical memory is from 3 or 4 years old. My mom hated TV (has always referred to it as “the boob tube") and many nights after dinner we sat around the living room and played from various songbooks. She played piano and violin, my dad played trumpet, my older sisters played clarinet and violin, and I played "drums" (coffee cans, actually).

AAJ: Why, what, when, or who inspired you to pick up the trumpet?

RH: At around 5 years old, my dad started to teach me scales, simple songs, etc. Both my parents were huge fans of Al Hirt, and we had at least a dozen of his albums, like JAVA, COTTON CANDY, FANCY PANTS, HONEY IN THE HORN, AL HIRT W/BOSTON POPS, AL HIRT LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL W/GERALD WILSON BAND, etc. Many folks are not aware that before he was hit in the face with a brick at a Mardi Gras parade around 1971 or so, he was an amazing trumpet player.

Around the time I started playing, Herb Alpert was all the rage, and I'd say that he, too, was an early influence. These were not jazz players, per se, but my trumpet idols nonetheless until I flipped over Maurice Andre and classical music. It wasn't until I was 12 or 13 that I heard records of Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Maynard Ferguson, et al.

AAJ: When and why did you decide to become a professional musician?

RH: By the time I was 16, somehow I knew that's what I wanted to do. I had good music teachers in school and at music camps, and who I had studied with privately that all had inspired me musically and as role models. I also remember Stan Kenton giving a particularly inspiring talk to us youngsters at one of his clinics about how after being in the music business for 35 years with all of its ups and downs (he said keeping a big band on the road for all that time nearly bankrupted him 3 or 4 times) he didn't have a single regret. When I look back over his long career, I'm still inspired by his desire to place art above commercialism, and to always surround himself with the finest musicians and arrangers available.

AAJ: Who (or what) would you cite as your influences? If any can be named, what non-musical catalytic elements seem to provide you with the most inspiration?

RH: My main influences, as I believe Bill Evans once said, are simply anyone and everyone who play well. I might add to that, as he might have, those who are great composers, arrangers, orchestrators, also.

As far as non-musical catalytic elements, none come to mind at the moment. For some reason, although I can appreciate other art forms and other things outside of the arts, nothing, so far, has touched so deeply as music has over such a long period of time.

AAJ: As a follow up, is it a concern for you to avoid crossing the fine line between being “influenced by” and being “imitative of”? If “yes”, how do you feel you avoid doing so? If “no”, why not?

RH: My view of being imitative is as follows: It's okay to try to copy someone else’s style (either writing or playing) when you're in the process of figuring out how that person is achieving a sound that you get turned on by. It's natural, and we all learn something from others and hopefully move on to something else that turns us on and try to incorporate that, too. Where it seems to have gotten out of hand in the last several years, in particular, is with musicians who engulf the persona of another musician (usually one who has passed on and cannot speak out about it) and base their entire career on it. If I felt I was being too imitative of another musician (particularly a trumpeter, composer or arranger), hopefully, the first thing I would do is to stop listening to them or their recordings until I had reduced their influence. For example, one of my strongest influences from about 14-23 years of age was Lee Morgan. After that time I made a conscious decision to hardly listen anymore to him, Freddie Hubbard, Miles, Kenny Dorham, Blue Mitchell, Donald Byrd, etc. Not only because I didn't want to sound like them, but because I didn't want to sound like any of my peers that also were strongly influenced by them. From an early point in my musical development I realized that I would rather expose myself to the many thousands of other great musicians of the past as well as the dozens of exceptionally gifted musicians that I find myself surrounded by on a day to day basis.

AAJ: Do you personally encounter difficulty in finding and maintaining an original or individual voice (either as an instrumentalist or as a composer) considering your academic or scholarly background? If “yes”, what are some of those difficulties? If “no”, why not?

RH: Well, truthfully, Berklee wasn't all that scholarly. I would say that the study of music is not what infringes on my individuality, it is the musical surrounding that dictates how much freedom I'm allowed and the liberties that I can take. If I find myself in a "straight ahead" big band situation or a "hard bop"-type small group where most or all of the other musicians are role-playing, I can assure you I will not be able to stand out one iota. Fortunately, most groups that I perform and record with allow me a great deal of license and this dilemma doesn't occur too often.

AAJ: As a follow up, does studying the music help you achieve a more integrative and hybridized style (i.e., it yields a number of elements to draw from)?

RH: Absolutely. It's a given that the more varied the places are that you draw your ideas from, the more interesting your music will be. I know composers that listen to such diverse sounds as Gyorgy Ligeti, Alban Berg, Neil Young, James Brown and pygmy music in order to infuse different elements into their music.

AAJ: Please tell the AAJ readers about your new cd, GENIUS ENVY (include anything you’d like about how or why it was written, recorded, who performs on it, etc. Please elaborate on the title, aside from the clever pun)

RH: The music on GENIUS ENVY was written in 1998 and 1999 for two concerts that were presented at the New School by the Jazz Composers' Collective. They were written specifically for the musicians who participated on both the performances and the recording. They are Jane Ira Bloom, soprano sax; John McKenna, tenor sax; Frank Kimbrough, piano; Ben Allison, bass; Rich Rosenzweig, drums.

The original title was to be Too Much Genius Envy. I have often felt that far too many jazz musicians of my generation "over-idolize" those greats of years past. A certain amount of adulation is normal and healthy when we are in our formative years, but if it continues year after year I feel it does more harm than good. The most harmful effect being that musicians who are deserving of proper recognition here and now are being seriously overlooked. I'm not entirely sure what a genius is, but I do know that I am surrounded by a large number of extremely gifted musicians, and I prefer to draw my inspiration from them rather than my recordings of the greats who have passed on.

AAJ: What was aspect of making this recording was the most fun? What was the most difficult? What have you learned that you will carry forward to your next recording?

RH: I think what was most pleasurable about the project was the camaraderie. I have known John and Ben for about 7 years, Jane about 16 years, and Rich and Frank for nearly 20 years. Even engineer Michael Brorby and OmniTone producer Frank Tafuri I have known for many years now. They all were behind this project, were very generous with their time and gave their utmost. I am extremely grateful for all of their efforts. No difficulties come to mind. Each project is a learning experience and I hope to carry forth all that I gleaned from this one to the next one.

AAJ:) can you give an example of something you learned during the making of this recording (i.e., something you didn't know before the project began but have subsequently recognized)?

RH: The main thing that I was reminded of during the making of GENIUS ENVY, was how many details, both large and small, have to be attended to. On the one hand, you have to be concerned about things like intonation, tempos, missed notes, clean entrances, etc., but keep it all within the context of the bigger picture. For example, do you forego using the take of a tune that is almost pristine, in terms of execution, by going with another one that is more exciting but may contain a mistake or two? Many of these and other decisions could not be made by me alone, and Iwas fortunate to be able to rely on the experience and expertise of those around me. Credit must go, not only to the musicians, who gave beautiful and inspired performances on the CD, but also to engineers Michael Brorby and Katsuhiko Naito, art director Greg Downer and especially producer Frank Tafuri, who all worked extremely hard to make this CD look and sound wonderful. Being part of a concerted effort is very uplifting. I hope I have the opportunity to do it again soon.

AAJ: In your work as a sideman, which performances or recordings have been the most fun, most enjoyable, or most memorable? Which have been the most demanding or challenging? From which have you learned the most as a musician or composer? What is it you’ve learned from the above?

RH: It's very difficult to single out a particular experience, band or composer with whom I've worked and say I learned more from this one or was challenged more by that one. Each is a unique situation and I am glad to have had many different musical encounters. I have learned a little something from all of them.

AAJ: What musicians would you most like to work with that you've never worked with before?

RH: I suppose like most musicians, I have a wish list of those I would like to play with, but I don't want to appear greedy. After all, I'm still pinching myself that I've been selected to perform with one of my idols, Andrew Hill.

AAJ: What recordings by other musicians have you heard lately that have excited you?

RH: Several actually, but one that comes to mind first is Dave Douglas' CHARMS OF THE NIGHT SKY. Really beautiful.

AAJ: What musical lesson or insight have you most recently achieved that you plan to apply to your own work or style of playing?

RH: I think the most useful observation that I've made over the last couple of years is examining how each composer balances the use of dense or complex material against that of simpler elements, whether it be used within a tune, a CD or a performance.

AAJ: Do you have any preparatory routines or rituals prior to performing live?

RH: Not really. Like most performers, I hope for a few minutes before a show to focus on the task at hand. But then again, sometimes there's nothing better than a few raunchy jokes and a beer in the green room just before going on stage to keep everything nice and loose.

AAJ: What's the funniest or most embarrassing thing that's happened to you while performing or recording?

RH: I can't think of one particular event that stands out, but I will say that Ben Allison's first CD, SEVEN ARROWS, and the first Herbie Nichols Project CD, LOVE IS PROXIMITY, were made in the midst of a lot of joke-telling, funny anecdotes and hysterical laughter. Much of it while the tape was rolling. Maybe one day the Collective will just release a party CD of all the horsing around between takes. You might get the impression that we were just wasting time but we were actually sailing through with mostly one or two takes of everything. There again, that strong feeling of friendship played an important role.

AAJ: What can a musician learn from being told by an audience member (post-performance) that he or she "played exceptionally well" or was "extremely moving" when he or she feels their performance was sub-standard?

RH: Based on my own experiences, those of other performers I know and those I've read about, it must be universal that what the musician and what the audience experience are sometimes two different things. Even as a listener I can tell a fellow musician that they moved me and they can look at me as if to say,"Really? I thought I sucked." I can't explain this phenomenon.

AAJ: Could you please list your Top 10 Desert Island Discs?

RH: You know, I really can't. After collecting records for nearly 30 years, I think the best that I could do would be to chose what I think would be the best record by each one of my favorite musicians, and that would comprise my Top 300 Desert Island discs.

AAJ: What recordings would an AAJ reader find most surprising or unexpected in your collection?

RH:I'm not sure what would be considered surprising or unexpected. Generally, my scope is jazz and classically oriented, however I do enjoy my John Phillip Sousa and Frank Zappa records, too.

AAJ: Since you participate in the Jazz Composers Collective, I have to ask if the phrase "Modern Jazz" actually have any meaning or significance for you? If so, where do you see "Modern Jazz" heading within the next 5 years? How (or will) Ron Horton fit into this?

RH: I'm not sure about that term "modern jazz". It reminds me of the MJQ, 1953. I tend to think in terms of whether jazz today is "forward-looking" or "backward-looking". I'm certainly not saying that looking back at music is a bad thing. Far from it. Actually, I love it when "forward-looking" musicians look back to earlier times using their own unique perspective. I simply don't enjoy hearing musicians who look back in that narrow, repertory-style, "play it like the original" manner. As far as where everything will be in 5 years, I would like to see more record labels, especially the larger ones, put their support behind musicians who are striving to look ahead.

AAJ: In conclusion, what other projects can we expect from Ron Horton in 2000-2001?

RH: For the near future I will mostly be in and around New York, promoting GENIUS ENVY, as well as cooking up something new for my concert with the Jazz Composers' Collective in the Spring. Also in the works is a JCC band of all the composers-in-residence where we will each write an extended composition to feature one of the other members. It should be very interesting.

Ron Horton Discography

Ron Horton Genius Envy (Omnitone)

The Herbie Nichols Project Love Is Proximity (Soul Note)

The Herbie Nichols Project Dr. Cyclops' Dream (Soul Note)

Ben Allison Seven Arrows (Koch)

Ben Allison Medicine Wheel (Palmetto)

Ben Allison Third Eye (Palmetto)

Jane Ira Bloom Art and Aviation (Arabesque)

East Down Septet Out of Gridlock (Hep)

East Down Septet Channel Surfing (Hep)

Allan Chase Dark Clouds with Silver Lining (Accurate)

Phillip Johnston Flood at the Ant Farm (Black Saint)

Walter Thompson The Colonel (Nine Winds)

John McKenna Apparition (IGMOD)